


Enter The Darkness

by caughtinthenow



Series: The Realm [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Anger, Angst, Emotional Hurt, Manipulation, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Temporary Character Death, jumping around in time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2018-12-31 22:09:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12142155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caughtinthenow/pseuds/caughtinthenow
Summary: Michael Jones was enjoying life. He was in the perfect relationship and was about to start a family. Then his life was ripped from him, and instead, he entered the Realm.--This is a prequel to 'Welcome to the Realm'!





	1. Michael Enters the Realm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When an accident happens, Michael finds himself in a new place.

Life was perfect for Michael Jones. He was married to his best friend and dating the two most amazing women in the world. He had everything he could have ever asked for, maybe even more. He had the perfect job with probably the greatest and most supportive friends a guy could ask for. Michael couldn’t help but spend most of his days with a huge smile on his face.

Michael felt a prod against the arm, causing him to turn to face Gavin. “What time are you going to be home? Turney’s been texting me all day because she wants to make sure that neither of us is going mess up the gender reveal tonight,” Gavin asked. Michael leaned back in his seat a bit, sighing a bit.

“Jon wants me for On the Spot tonight, so I’ll be home when we’re done filming that. I swear to god though, if you guys do it without me, I will probably murder all of you…well, not Lindsay, she can stay,” he said. Gavin pouted, leaning over to hang onto his husband’s arm.

“You wouldn’t do that Michael… you love Turney and I too much for that,” he teased, looking at Michael innocently. While yes, Michael knew very well that Gavin was very much correct, he knew to stand his ground.

“Watch me,” he jokingly replied. Gavin rolled his eyes but leaned up to plop a quick kiss on Michael’s lips.

“Love you boi,” he hummed as he leaned back to focus on work.

“Love you too, idiot.”

\--

Normally, Michael drank copious amounts of alcohol to get through On the Spot, but knowing that the four of them had been planning the gender reveal for so long, he wanted to be completely sober for it. While there was going to be video footage, he wanted to remember that moment forever.

Michael was excited to be a father. When Lindsay first announced she was pregnant, he hadn’t believed her. It wasn’t until she had taken several tests and gotten official medical confirmation that he believed her. None of them were entirely sure who the father was, but at the end of the day, none of them had cared. The baby was _theirs_. Secretly Michael figured that it was Gavin’s baby, but Lindsay made it very clear that she didn’t want to hear it. “As far as I’m concerned, both of you are the actual father,” she had announced.

The baby was fairly active. It always made Michael super excited when he got the chance to feel the baby. Meg was always joking that the baby was just raging, but she also claimed the baby was probably just as clumsy as Gavin was. Gavin had been quick to point out the fact that Lindsay was just as clumsy as he was.

They hadn’t meant to put off the gender reveal for as long as they had, but between Meg and Lindsay always being away at conventions and Gavin traveling back and forth between Texas and Europe, their schedules just never seemed to match up enough to make it happen. That night though, they had all made sure their schedules would be completely free, and by the end of the night, the four of them would know what the gender of their baby was going to be.

Michael walked eagerly towards his car, humming cheerfully. Twenty minutes, and he’d be home with his family.  His phone started vibrating in his pocket as he slipped into the driver's seat.

[New Picture Message]

Michael stared at the picture, amused. Gavin was showing off the three of them, sitting in the backyard. Lindsay held up a sign reading ‘coming soon…’, a huge smile on her face.  Moments later, a notification from twitter popped up from Gavin.

‘Just waiting for our boi to come home and then it’s going to kick off, stay tuned!’

Michael shook his head, laughing slightly. He pressed retweet and tossed his phone onto the seat next to him. He couldn’t wait to get home. Admittedly, when they had been planning how they would go about doing the reveal, Michael hadn’t been too much of a fan of the idea they had decided on, but now, he thought it was going to be fun.

\--

_“Okay but hear me out, right. Paint is fun. Dan and I have been messing paint for our videos and it’s amazing in slow motion, so what about us getting someone to toss paint on us, and I could film it in slow motion,” Gavin announced. Michael glanced over at Lindsay, who looked very interested and excited about the idea. Within seconds, she had her hand up and was high-fiving Gavin about the idea._

_“You know how fucking messy that would be to clean up?!” Michael sighed._

_“Well, we could do it on a tarp in the backyard, and then we could just toss out the tarp afterward,” Meg pointed out. Michael shot her a glare, annoyed he wasn’t being backed up. He shook his head, mumbling to himself, but eventually agreed._

_“Great! I could have Dan do the cameras for us since he’ll be here around then, and Geoff already said he and Griffon would be more than happy to throw the paint on us,” Gavin announced cheerfully. Michael rolled his eyes. Of course, Gavin had already fucking talked to everyone first._

_\--_

Michael pulled up to a stoplight. The drive home wasn’t too bad on normal days, but this was Austin, and he knew new construction projects were always popping up to delay his travels home.  He reached for the radio turning it on and allowed music to fill the car. It was a nice distraction, and he hoped that it would just pass the time. Traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as he had originally thought it might be, but he still found himself stopping and going.

Feeling slightly impatient and eager to just get home, Michael made a quick turn onto a side street. He immediately felt relaxed, grateful that it was fairly empty. Sure, it was going to take him out of the way to get home, but at the rate that the traffic was going, he’d make it home before he would have if he had stayed on the main road.

Michael didn’t see the white truck coming straight at him. He didn’t realize how fast they were going. He didn’t know that they had ran the stop sign, full speed, as he crossed the intersection himself. He did feel the impact however, and was able to see the world spinning around him before he heard a crunching noise and the world going back.

\--

Michael’s eyes slowly opened. His vision was blurry, and nothing seemed to be coming into focus. His head felt as though it was about to explode. “Hello?” he croaked out. Slowly, things started to come into focus and he could see things clearer. He was laying on a bed. Pushing himself slowly up, he glanced around. The room was white and fairly empty. In fact, the more he looked around the more he realized that the bed was the only thing in the room besides himself. It was so…plain. Michael’s head throbbed, and he instantly regretted sitting up.

“Hello?” he called out again, feeling increasingly antsy. He tried to remember what happened. One minute, he knew he was driving home, but what happened after that felt fuzzy. Suddenly the sound of metal crushing filled his head, and a sick realization filled him.

This had to be a hospital, he decided. He had been in many hospitals before however, and this looked nothing like the hospitals he knew. Chewing his lip, he wondered if maybe Gavin, Meg, and Lindsay were there waiting for him.

“Hello Michael,” A feminine voice said. Michael stared as a lady suddenly just appeared in the room.

“Uh…hi,” he said, staring at her. She looked nothing like a nurse, but then again, who knows, maybe she was. “Can you tell me what’s going on?” he asked. She looked at him, slightly sadly.

“Michael, I’m sorry to inform you that you were in an accident, and unfortunately, you didn’t make it,” she explained. Michael blinked, unsure if he heard or understood what she said correctly.

“Excuse me? What?” he asked.

“You didn’t survive the car crash,” she said bluntly. Michael felt bile raise in his chest.

“Then where the fuck am I?” he asked, gaping. The woman smiled excitedly at him.

“Welcome to the Realm, Michael.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins! This story is a lot shorter than the first one, but it hopefully it should fill in some reasons behind Overseer!Michael's reasoning for what he did in Welcome to the Realm. I really hope everyone likes it! Comments and kudos are always appreciated and very much loved. Note: I was going to set up a playlist for all the stories but just saying: 'Hurts Like Hell- Fleurie', 'Nightmare - Set it Off', & 'Wolf in Sheep's Clothing- Set it off' all played heavily for this!


	2. Fit for the role

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael learns about the Realm.

Michael stared at the lady, face blankly. “The Realm? Where the hell is that?” he asked. The lady looked extremely excited to answer his question.

“To put it simply, we are in another dimension out of Earth!” she hummed. Michael furrowed his brows.

“This is a joke, right? Where am I really? Where’s Gavin? Where’s Meg and Lindsay?” he asked, looking around.

“Like I said, we’re in another dimension. They’re currently back on Earth,” she replied, looking at him calmly. “Anyways, I’m sure that the rest of the Overseers will explain everything better than I would. I’m still pretty new if I’m going, to be honest. I’m Nera though,” she introduced, sticking her hand out for him to shake. He ignored the hand, trying to process what she was saying to him. She turned, walking towards a door. “We’ve been waiting for you for a long time. We’ve been watching you for awhile, but if I’m going to be honest, I’m really glad you’re finally here. Anyways, if you could follow me, I’ll take you to the rest of the Overseers!” she hummed. Overseers. Who the fuck were the Overseers? Michael numbly got up, feeling dizzy as he tried to walk.

She led him out of the room and into a hall, a skip to her step. He couldn’t understand how she could be so cheerful after delivering such depressing news. “Technically, we could probably just take the easier way, but I like walking places, you know?” she hummed, the words not making sense.

Much like the room he had just been in, the hall was void of anything that wasn’t white. In fact, it was empty except for a door at the end of the hallway. He wanted to stop her, make her explain what was going on, but he felt a slight draw towards the door at the end of the hallway.

When they reached the door, she glanced back, excited. She pushed the door all the way open, revealing a room. Unlike the previous room and hallway, he was immediately hit with the sight of color. Ten sets of eyes immediately turned onto him. The room was filled with women and men, sitting around a large oak table.

Michael’s eyes fell onto someone similar, a small gasp slipping from his lips.

“Hi buddy,” Geoff Ramsey cheerfully said. Michael stood rooted to the ground, confused. Geoff patted the seat next to him encouragingly. Michael reluctantly shuffled forward. Nera moved around him, taking her spot at the table.

“Thank you for retrieving Michael for us Nera,” A man at the end of the table announced. Michael glanced over, studying the man. He looked fairly young, younger than Michael, he was sure of that. Michael glanced at Geoff questioningly, but the older man just smiled. “Well, since we’re all here, we should start,” the man continued. “We’d like to welcome the newest member of our family, Michael Jones. Starting today, he will the twelfth and final member of the Realm.” The room was quickly filled with quiet clapping.

Michael felt his throat tighten. “Uh, not to be a downer but what the fuck is going on?” he asked, looking around at all the people. The man at the end of the table gave him a huge grin.

“Ah yes, I’m sure that you have many questions. Well, let me start by introducing myself. My name is Orion. I am first, keeper of all. This is the Realm. We are located outside of time, in a separate dimension than Earth. Our duty is to make sure that all realities on Earth run smoothly. We watch and protect, doing whatever it takes to make sure that everything goes as it should. We’ve been watching you very carefully, and after much discussion, we believed that you were the perfect candidate for our final Overseer,” Orion explained. 

Michael stared at him blankly, the information not soaking in. “I don’t understand,” he said softly. Orion and the rest of the table looked at him sympathetically.

“We directly influence life on Earth. There are many different realities. The reality you came from was just one of twelve different realities. Each of us controls each reality, watching over it to ensure that it plays out the way it’s meant to play out, and now you too will be able to control and protect a reality,” Orion explained.   Michael blinked, trying to process it.

“Why me?” he said softly. Orion chuckled.

“We watch each reality carefully, but I’ve known all along that you were going to be the one to complete our family. This was always your destiny, Michael, we were just waiting till you were ready,” he explained.

“But…How am I here? How did you bring me here?” he asked. The eldest Overseer’s smile fell.

“We had to do this very carefully, Michael. If we had done it the wrong way, it would have resulted in your existance being erased in all realities,” he explained. Michael didn’t understand. “It’s a very complicated and delicate process but we have managed preserve the future of your exsistance just like we have done with the rest of the members,” he said. Michael felt there was something more to the vague answer, but he honestly wasn’t sure if he really wanted to know.

“Now, all realities will be resetting two weeks from today, which means that each of you will get new realities to watch over. Geoff, if you are willing, would you be able to help Michael watch over his new reality,” Orion asked. Geoff immediately nodded, giving Michael a reassuring smile. Michael just felt confusion taking over, and he felt lost.


	3. I've Seen Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geoff tries to explain how the Realm works, and Michael makes a huge mistake.

Geoff protectively put his arm around Michael’s shoulder, leading him around. “You know, as soon as you get settled here and everything, shit’s going to be so easy for you. It’s pretty awesome. We’re pretty much immortals, we never age. We have private mental communication and you can teleport pretty much everywhere, and it’s like you’re some kind of superhero,” Geoff chuckled. Unlike the hall he had come in with Nera, they were in a hall that was decorated much like the room had been. “Anyways, we’re almost to your living quarters,” Geoff announced, pointing to a door. Michael gritted his teeth, pulling away from his friend.  
  
“Okay, what the actual fuck is going on, Geoff? Why are you here? Why am I really here?” he asked. Geoff sighed.

“Just give me two seconds and I’ll explain everything,” he replied. They stopped at the door Geoff had pointed to, and Geoff started tapping at a screen that popped up next to the door. He glanced at Michael, nodding to himself, and then went back to tapping on the screen. Suddenly the door clicked open, and Geoff gestured for Michael to go in. Michael reluctantly took a step forward, but when he got inside, he felt himself go into shock. Inside was a replica of his home. “You can change it if you want, but sometimes it’s easier to adjust in a familiar location,” Geoff shrugged, walking in behind him. He immediately went the couch, sitting himself down.

“So, what do you want to know?” he asked.

Michael moved further in, looking hesitant. “Uh, everything?” he said softly.

“Right. Well. I’ve been here for awhile. I was the fourth in the Realm. It was a lot quieter back then. I was minding my own business when it happened. All the boys from the office were supposed to be coming over to hang out, play some games, you know, the usual. I don’t honestly know what happened to me, I just know one minute I was there, and the next I was here. I took it really hard honestly. I made the mistake of peeking into the reality I came from, which never turns out well. You just get somewhat bitter. Anyways, I eventually adjusted to things here, and it’s kind of cool getting to see all the different realities that are possible. There’s a reality where I’m a freaking crime boss and honestly it’s cool as dicks whenever I get assigned to that reality,” he explained.

Michael glanced down, trying to make sure he really understood it. If he was going to be honest with himself, he didn’t think he ever would.

“How do they bring people into the Realm?” he asked, not sure if he really wants to know. Geoff grimaced, looking pained.

“Well, like I said, I have no clue how I really came but…it’s a delicate thing. Orion has to be really careful when he brings people in, and for that reason alone we let him be the one to bring new Overseers in. There are two ways. The first method is how we all come. In order to preserve the continuation of ourselves in future realities, the Overseer must first die in their reality. This allows Orion to take you without disrupting everything. You were meant to die that day, which gave him the chance to take you,” Geoff paused, looking completely reluctant to continue.

“And the second way?” Michael asked stomach completely in knots. He didn’t like how the first method worked. He didn’t like the fact that he had to die in order to come to the Realm.

“Overseer’s have the power to pull someone from a reality without them passing. None of us ever use it because that could and would disrupt all realities. If a person comes here because they were pulled out by an overseer, then they cease to exist in all realities. I’m not sure why we have that power, but you should never use it under any circumstances,” he explained, looking emotionally drained just from that answer. Michael grimaced. Neither option sounded particularly great.

“Okay…Last question, I think. What did Orion mean that the realities were going to be resetting?” Michael asked. Geoff sighed.

“This is the hard part of it all.  Time moves differently here for us. One day here is twenty-four years. Three months here is practically a whole reality. In two weeks, the full span of the reality you know will have been completed and time will reset. Each reality starts from scratch, as in dinosaurs and Cavemen. The first month is pretty boring, and sometimes you’ll get tempted to change things here and there, which is kind of frowned upon. If you do it discreetly though, no one cares. We kind of cut it off though. Once Orion let the realities go for longer than three months, and it wasn’t pretty. In the hours that you’ve been here, I’d say at least ten years has probably passed?” he said. Michael felt dizzy at the last comment.

“You’re…kidding, right?” he mumbled. Geoff shook his head.

“It happens fast, an hour here is at least a year and you were out of it for awhile,” he said sadly.

 “Geoff. How do I view the reality I came from?” Michael asked, looking at him desperately.

“Michael I don’t think you shoul-” Geoff said, but Michael cut him off.

“Geoff. Show me,” he growled. Geoff sighed reluctantly.

“You’re not going to like it, and it changes a person, and I promise you, you will not like it at all,” he warned. Michael shot his friend a glare. Sighing, Geoff reached for him. Suddenly, everything was shifting around them. Michael felt his breath catching, and he felt dizzy.

Everything eventually settled down, and they were in a large room. One of the walls appeared almost as if it was a large television. “Think about the reality you came from, and from there you’ll be able to find your family. You can um, watch from where you left if you want, but..it’s emotionally draining, and I really don’t recommend it,” Geoff explained uncomfortably. “I’ll be back later,” he added, and before Michael could say anything, he was gone.

A chair appeared in the middle of the room. Michael nervously sat down, taking a deep breath. “Show me my reality,” he ordered. Suddenly the screen flashed on. He concentrated on Gavin, Lindsay, and Meg. Everything started changing on the screen, and he felt his throat catch.

The first thing he saw was a young boy at a soccer game, looking very pleased with himself. Then he saw them. Gavin, Meg, and Lindsay were cheering enthusiastically. Next to Gavin was a young girl who was cheering just an enthusiastically as her parents. Michael stared at the boy again, realizing that he must be the baby they were expecting. Tears filled his eyes, realization hitting him. The boy was practically a spitting image of himself. So he was the father after all.

Watching was difficult, in more than one sense he realized. Things moved fast. He sat silently, watching the tiny family. He discovered the boy was named after him after he briefly saw his name on a Christmas greeting card. He found out the girl’s name was Abbey and was about two years younger than her brother. He wanted to slow it down, but realized by doing that, he wouldn’t be in real time anymore. Life was going on without him, yet, he watched as Gavin, Meg, and Lindsay actively kept him alive in spirit.

He wasn’t sure how many hours he sat there, just watching his family grow up. His son eventually entered high school, and Michael watched as he struggled. He wished he could be there, helping his son get through things. The older his son got, the more like Michael he became, which he wasn’t sure was a good thing or not.

Abbey was popular and brilliant. She looked like the perfect mix of Gavin and Meg, and he could tell that she was exactly like the two of them. He desperately wished that he could be there. He wished he could be there when his son had his first girlfriend and when Abbey struggled with her sexuality.

Michael felt exhausted, but terrified if he left, if he stopped watching, he’d miss everything. He wasn’t sure when, but his eyes eventually drooped closed.

\--

Michael woke up with a jolt. Panic filled him as he refocused on his family. Abbey was getting married, while his son was getting an official job at Roosterteeth. He felt sick, realizing that he must have slept awhile. He gritted his teeth, knowing the harsh reality of watching everyone. People got older, people got sick, people experienced the harsh reality of life.

He shook his head, unsure if he was going to be able to watch the rest. He knew exactly what Geoff had meant. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like seeing life continuing on without him, not being able to be there to experience everything. He stopped it. He turned it off. He knew what would eventually come. He’d watch Gavin, Lindsay, and Meg get older and older, and he knew what would eventually happen.

He desperately needed to get away.

Geoff popped up suddenly. “Hey Michael,” he said softly. Michael felt tears running down his face. “Yeah, I knew that was going to happen, let me take you home buddy,” Geoff murmured. Again, they were twisting around. When it stopped, they were back in Michael’s living room.

“I…I shouldn’t have watched that,” Michael whimpered, unable to stop himself from crying.

“It happens. I should have put my foot down and said now. No one stopped me when I came, and I wished there had been someone. I should have stopped you,” he paused, helping Michael sit down. “It’s going to be really hard at first, watching everything. It happened to all of us. I’ve learned not to focus too much on my counterpart in the realities. It just makes everything worse. Eventually, though, you adjust. I think it’s amazing that I get to see all the realities, and that I get to have such a huge role.”

Michael was quiet.  He felt too numb. He felt broken. He couldn’t do this, he knew he couldn’t.


	4. Loosing Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anger starts to really take over Michael.

Michael never went back to watch and find out what happened to his family. He didn’t dare. He knew that too many hours had passed by the time he eventually woke up, that everything was over. He had begged Geoff to stay with him, and eventually, he passed out from emotional exhaustion.

Geoff showed him the reality that he came from, which he discovered was pretty similar to his own reality but had enough differences for him to tell that it was obviously different. “You married Lindsay, in my reality, and Gavin was with Meg. There wasn’t really anything between you, Gavin, Lindsay, and Meg besides the fact that the four of were best friends,” he chuckled. The concept seemed weird to him. He couldn’t imagine a life without being with all of them.

Michael felt something inside of him that was eating away at him. No matter how much he tried to move on and accept it, he still felt anger and bitterness inside of him. He tried to ignore it, but it wouldn’t go away.

Getting used to the Realm was fairly overwhelming. He learned they could teleport around, and the most alarming thing was the fact that sometimes, Geoff would start talking to him inside of his head. That part was disorienting, but handy he quickly understood.

The day he got his first reality as an Overseer, he knew he should have been prepared. Like Geoff had promised, things had been pretty boring the first month. He became fascinated watching history though. Things were a bit different that what he had grown up learning, yet so many things were the same. He began feeling antsy, wondering when time would be closer to when he was from. “It was boring to me too at first. It’s even worse for Orion and Nera. They were born about a hundred years after we existed? It’s usually nearly the end of a reality before he even gets a glimpse at the life he lived. Elizabeth, she’s the one who came before me, she’s from the seventeen hundreds. Samson, he was about the eighth one here, he was from there too. Generally there is two people from the same time period, but it’s all spread out. You wouldn’t think either of them were from the seventeen hundreds though, they  both adjusted pretty quickly. It’s pretty modern here, considering that the first one is from well, the future,” Geoff explained.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when it got to the point that the reality had caught up to his time. He had known that there would be a version of him that was out there, living his life, but he couldn’t help feel jealousy towards the other Michael. He felt anger too. A lot of anger. This Michael got to live his life and continue on, not having to worry about being ripped away from the people he loved, and he hated him for that.

\--

“You know, I’m pretty amazed. Your first reality ran pretty smoothly. My first one I had to prevent a nuclear war, which, let me tell you, is hard as fuck as a newbie, color me jealous,” Geoff announced as they watched their two realities coming to a close. “You think you could handle doing your next reality solo? I’ll be around to help if you need it, but I think you’d probably be able to do it by yourself?”

Michael shrugged. Sure, he could probably do it, it didn’t seem that hard. He started his next rotation off decently, only having to divert a couple disasters here and there. He had to admit, it gave him a sense of pride to be able to watch over the realities and take care of them.  He discovered that the reality that he was watching was the same reality that Geoff had been so excited about previously. He watched his counterpart and his friends as they ruled the city of Los Santos, a city that Michael had never heard about before, claiming proudly to be the Fake AH Crew.

\--

So maybe Michael messed with his counterpart. Maybe he decided to make things a bit harder for him, or throw a wrench in his plans here and there. They were only small things, things he knew would go unnoticed.

He had been through six realities. Each one either very similar or very different. He grew used to the Realm. He got used to Geoff or another Overseer randomly popping into his head, and the fact that he could just bounce wherever he wanted.

Each reality though, he had become slightly more bitter and angry. He felt it building up in him, and he felt like it was starting to become uncontrollable. He played himself off to appear to be fine, he tried to not draw attention, but instead of slowly accepting it, it just became worse.

He felt darkness and anger take over whenever it neared the end of the three months, whenever he knew his counterpart was going to appear. He wondered what made them so special,  what gave them the right that to continue existing, while he had been pulled away?

He started messing with the realities more, pushing here and there. Then one day, he went over the line, and he knew he did. He hadn’t meant to kill one of his counterparts, maybe severely injury, but not kill. He claimed it was an accident that he couldn’t have prevented. It became a game though, how badly could he torture his counterparts. How much could he mess with them, without really making the reality too messy. 

He knew, in all truthfulness, that this wasn’t him. He wasn’t this kind of person. Sure, he was an angry guy, but the person he had become? That wasn’t someone he recognized. He couldn’t stop himself though. The hatred and anger inside of him far weighed the good left inside of him. The more realities he witnessed, the worse he became.

\--

He knew he had one more reality until he’d be full circle to his original reality. It had been three years. Time had passed by so fast, yet so slowly. In all reality, Michael was surprised that they had let him go on for as long as he had. He wasn’t even sure who he was anymore. Geoff had grown concerned  long ago, and had tried to help Michael, but nothing seemed to help. Michael had simply claimed that it was all an accident and everything was fine. He knew just as well as the rest though, that nothing was, and that Michael wasn’t Michael anymore.

He was so close though. He was so close to catching another glimpse of his life.

Then Orion stepped in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about not getting this chapter out till just now! I had a huge project for school that took up my whole Friday and I was literally out of the house all day yesterday and part of today. I really hope you guys are liking the story and again I’m super sorry this is so late!


	5. The Darkness Becomes One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael finds out Orion is planning something and takes it upon himself to stop it.

Orion stirred his spoon in a cup of tea, glancing over to Michael. “Would you like some? I know we don’t really have the need to consume food or drink in the Realm, but like Nera, who enjoys the sensation of walking everywhere, I enjoy the sensation of drinking,” Orion said. Michael shook his head, refusing the tea. “Very well, then I suppose I should get to the point of why I have called you in here then,” he announced.

Michael just shrugged, not looking at Orion at all. He didn’t want to be there. He had spent a lot of time thinking, and he knew that Orion was the one whose fault it was. He knew that instead of being angry at his counterparts, it should be Orion. “We’ve noticed several alarming things during your time here, Michael,” Orion started, pausing to take a sip of tea. “I have been observing you closely in particular, as you have always been someone of interest to me, but what I’ve seen is appalling. You have broken several of our rules, especially our rule on interference. Some of the choices you have made have greatly affected the realities and we’ve noticed over the last three years that everything has been slightly off tilt. We understand that you were angry about being brought here, Michael, but there is no need to be so childish about it,” Orion scolded.

Michael scowled at Orion, look at him as though he was crazy. “You want to talk about interference, Orion? Okay, let’s do this. Obviously, from what I’ve noticed in each reality, you have to interfere somehow to bring us here. Never, not once, have I seen any of us in any of these realities be killed, yet because we’re here that means someone interfered in a reality to bring us here. How are you killing off eleven other people just to fill your family okay? How are you the saint here? You rip people from their lives,” he growled. Orion’s face didn’t even twitch.

“I didn’t kill any of you out of spite,” he said calmly. Michael felt his blood boil. “I’ve known you were going to be a part of our family for a very long time. Yes, I’ve had a very strong interest in you, given our connection in each of the reality, but I’ve been very patient waiting for the right time. I thought this really was the best reality to take you from, but I’m starting to realize that maybe I pulled you out of the wrong one,” Orion continued.

It was like a punch in the gut. The words came at him loud and clear. “I’m sorry to do this, but I can’t have you continue to disrupt realities, and I especially cannot have you viewing the reality you came from,” he sighed. Anger started taking over Michael as he realized what Orion was saying. “We’ll try again, I’m sure next time it will be smoother. Unfortunately, I cannot have you staying here Michael,” Orion announced.

Michael felt himself break. What was left of him shattered away. “No,” he hissed, shaking his head. Gritting his teeth, he shot a dirty look. “If anyone here is a monster, it’s you,” he spat. Before Orion could do anything, Michael concentrated hard. Suddenly, everything was moving around him, like it usually did when he teleported somewhere. Only, he didn’t want to go home. He didn’t want to go back to any part of the Realm. Everything was whipping around him and felt like he had no control over where he was going. He felt something inside of him changing, twisting around inside of him like the area around him.

Then it stopped. Only, Michael had no idea where he was. In fact, he didn’t think he was anywhere. Everything was just darkness around him. He knew one thing for sure, he wasn’t in the Realm anymore, or if he was, it wasn’t the part of Realm he knew. He wondered if anyone would ever be able to find him if they’d take him out.

\--

Weeks passed and there was no one. For once, everything was quiet. He didn’t have anyone telling him what to do, or judging him. He didn’t have to deal with the concerned looks from Geoff. He didn’t have to worry about Orion pulling him out of the Realm. He could just be him…whoever he really was now.

He started getting curious about what he could do. The more he concentrated, the more he discovered. He carefully constructed a room around himself, dubbing it his control room. It amazed him how much he could accomplish, more than he had ever accomplished in three years. He let out a chuckle, realization that Orion probably never told the other Overseers the full potential of all their powers. He sat in the middle of the room, pleased with what he had created.

Orion had never let him view more than one reality at the same time, but Michael quickly discovered that he could watch all at once if he really wanted to. Sure, in the back of his head, he wondered if by viewing each of the realities it’d lead Orion to him, but Michael couldn’t bring himself to care.

\--

Being isolated wasn’t nearly as great as he had first thought it would be. He started wondering if maybe he could too create his own little family. He briefly considered bringing Meg, Lindsay, and Gavin the same way that Orion had brought him into the Realm, but even as messed up as he had become, he couldn’t bring himself to kill the people he loved just to bring them to him. Sure, he had no problem torturing his counterpart. He took pleasure in messing with the other Overseers and the realities they watched over, knowing that they couldn’t do anything about it.

Curiosity was something that always spurred Michael on to do anything. He remembered back when he first came to the Realm when Geoff was explaining how people came to the Realm, and although he couldn’t bring himself to do the first method, he did know that he could just take Lindsay, Gavin, and Meg. He could take them, and erase them from the realities. He could make sure that no one other Michael got to have them. He didn’t want to test it on them though, not yet anyway. He had no idea what would happen to the people he erased, and he wasn’t willing to risk something happening to them and being forever out of his grip.

So he came up with a plan and picked a target. He remembered that the first person he met in the Realm was Nera, a young lady from the future. He waited patiently, following each reality until he reached Nera’s time. Figuring out how to pull her out was the hard part. At first, he wasn’t sure how anyone could possibly do it, but then he started concentrating on her reality, and suddenly, he found himself there. He found himself in her apartment. Amusement filled him. So he could pop into realities whenever he wanted, no one had told him that.

He heard the familiar sound of a keypad being typed into, and he knew she was about to enter. He sat on her couch, a twisted smile on his lips. The familiar face of the woman he had met years before walked in. She didn’t notice him at first. She kicked off her shoes and tossed her jacket to the side. “Eri, please adjust the lighting,” she called out. Suddenly, the lights flickered on, revealing Michael.

Nera’s eyes went wide when she finally saw him. “W-who are you?” she gasped, looking around. “How’d you get in here?!” she added, grabbing what appeared to be an umbrella. Michael chuckled.

“Hello Nera,” he hummed, looking at her with pure amusement.

“How do you know my name?” she gasped. Michael continued to chuckle.

“Oh I know a lot more than your name, Nera, but that’s a whole other story. I’m not really in the mood to tell a story though, so I think I’ll just get on with why I’m here and be on my way,” he hummed. He got up, walking calmly towards her. She looked as though she was frozen to the spot. “Oh don’t worry. This won't hurt,” he announced. He reached forward, grabbing onto her shoulder. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on going back to his Realm. Almost instantly, he felt Nera slump against him.

When he was back to his Realm, he thought hard about what he was going to do with her. He couldn’t help but remember the white room that he had woken up in, the room that didn’t seem to have any doors, and was void of anything that wasn’t white. Everything shifted around again, and he found himself in a similar room. He laid her on the bed, humming. So far, so good, he decided.

Returning to his control center, he was eager to see if it worked. He arranged it so that he could view all the realities at the same time. A pleased smile crossed his lips as he found no trace of Nera in any of the realities. In fact, he realized, there was no trace of Nera even existed. “Excelllent,” he hummed.

\--

It became a game for him. He started collecting the other Overseer’s counterparts, one by one. Of course, after the second one, there was always some kind of interference, but he always worked around it. He varied his choices of realities and made it unpredictable. He didn’t bother talking to his victims, choosing to instead spend as little time as he could in each reality to prevent them from stopping him. Soon, he happily had trapped nine counterparts, leaving them in their pitch white cells, only talking to them to taunt them.  It gave him a thrill to erase them from the realities, and he could only imagine the chaos it must be causing in Orion’s Realm.

All he had left to collect was Geoff and Orion.  He popped into the reality that he remembered Geoff showing him where he had come from. Yet as he sat there, waiting for Geoff, planning how he was going to erase Geoff, he found himself unable to do it. He knew just how much impact that Geoff had on their lives, especially his and Gavin’s. He did want to do anything that would change his reality too much, and while he could care less about Geoff’s influence on his counterpart’s life, he did care about the influence Geoff had over Gavin and Lindsay’s lives. Sighing, he decided he’d leave Geoff alone.

Which left Orion. He watched Orion’s counterparts for awhile, trying to pick the right one. He eventually settled on an Orion. He had to admit, he was more than excited for this. The rush it gave him as he ripped people out of existence was intoxicating. Popping into a reality, he didn’t waste any time setting out to find Orion.

“I can’t let you take him,” a voice said. Michael smirked, instantly recognizing the voice.

“I figured one of you would be here to stop me, Orion’s too much of a coward and probably thought you’d be able to convince me otherwise,” Michael hummed, turning to his friend. Geoff stared at him hard, shaking his head.

“You can’t do this Michael. You’re destroying everything,” he sighed. Michael shrugged, smirking unapologetically.

 “You know, Orion doesn’t tell you guys everything. There’s so much more than you guys could do besides what he has us do. You know how great it is being able to do whatever I want? I created my own Realm, Geoff. My own _Realm_ ,” he announced. Geoff shook his head.

“I’m going to take you back to the real Realm, Michael. We’ve made sure that the Orion in this reality is protected, the Orion’s in all the realities are protected. You aren’t going to be able to take him, no matter how hard you try. Once we get back, Orion’s going to fix everything and it’ll all be okay,” Geoff promised. Michael snorted.

“Fix everything? Yeah no, I know what that means, and I’m not going back there,” he growled. Geoff looked at him tiredly.

“Please Michael, you can’t keep doing this,” he murmured.

“You don’t get it, do you? I could careless about persevering the realities,” he hummed, thinking quickly. He realized that if he wasn’t careful, Geoff probably could actually take him back to the other Realm. He had to stop it. “Sorry about this Geoff,” he quickly said. Before Geoff could react, he lurched forward, taking his friend.

\--

Michael made sure that Geoff was comfortable. Sure, he was in his own isolation, but unlike the rest, Michael had taken the time to set up an illusion that was similar to what he knew Geoff’s quarters looked like in the Realm.

 Though he realized that the issue with taking another Overseer was that Geoff knew how to escape. He knew he could only hold Geoff there for a short period of time before the other would eventually figure out how to return to the other Realm, and he really couldn’t have that.  He didn’t know if Geoff escaping would mean that the other’s would be able to find him.

He started experimenting with his other prisoners, trying different methods. He carefully worked to figure out a way to make things work. He introduced some to Overseer powers and then tried to neutralize them. Unfortunately, most of it failed. Until he got to Nera. Good ol’ Nera. He discovered that he could erase memories, making her completely forget everything, including her newfound Overseer powers.

He eagerly erased everyone, glad to have figured out a solution. He returned to Geoff, who was absolutely livid. He could see the anger in Geoff’s eyes. “You’re not Michael, you’re not the Michael I know,” he spat. Michael snorted.

“Oh I’m Michael alright, but you’re right about one thing. I’m not the Michael you know. That Michael’s gone. Pretty sure that Michael died the day I came to the Realm,” he smirked, taking a step closer to Geoff. Geoff backed away from him, a disgusted look on his face. “Now, don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you, Geoff, I’m just, well, you could say I’m doing this for insurance purposes. It’ll all be over in a second,” he promised. Geoff looked at him, terrified. Michael kept calmly walking forward until he had Geoff pinned to a wall.

He placed a hand on Geoff’s face, cupping Geoff’s face. He smiled at his mentor, his friend. “Don’t worry Geoff, I’ll make sure everything is okay for you. Life’ll be good for you,” he hummed. Before Geoff could say anything, Michael closed his eyes. He could feel all of Geoff’s memories inside of his head. Carefully, Michael started to remove them, one by one. Of course, they weren’t permanently gone, just…tucked away.

He eventually pulled away, knowing that he was done. He knew that if he had done it right, Geoff wouldn’t remember anything, let alone being an Overseer.  Michael waited for a second, watching as Geoff swayed slightly. Suddenly, Geoff collapsed, causing Michael to sigh. He wasn’t surprised, he knew it was going to happen.

\--

“Hello?” a voice called out. Michael looked up from the couch, setting one of Geoff’s books aside. A smile curled over his lips.

“Hello, Geoff!” He hummed, looking at his good friend. Geoff looked at him, completely confused.

“Who are you? Where am I?” he asked. Michael just nodded.

“I’m the Overseer,” he paused, taking a moment to appreciate his work. “Welcome to the Realm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone! I've been sick all week so this is coming late... Anyways, only one chapter left! After next week's chapter, i'll be on hiatus for this series. I'm having a hard time writing the third story, unfortunately, but I will be continuing it. Starting stories have always been really hard for me, but once I get into it, I can get really into it. Thank you all for the love!!


	6. Welcome to the Realm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael brings everyone over, one by one.

Michael wanted to take all of them right away. He knew what he could do and he knew that he could do it quickly. Something inside of him though wanted to keep messing with his counterpart, and he knew that it wouldn’t be as satisfying if he took everyone at once.  He settled for taking them one at a time, and he knew there was only one reality that he wanted them from: his.

He decided on Meg first. Meg had always been his partner in crime, and the other half to team Winners. He waited for a moment when she might be alone, where no one would notice if he snatched her up. He felt jealousy as he watched the four of them interacting in the bedroom, flirting and teasing each other. He yearned to be the one in bed with them, to be able to hold them and kiss them. He wondered what would happen if he just casually took out their Michael and replaced himself with that Michael, but he knew he had bigger plans.

So when his counterpart disappeared into the kitchen ahead of Meg, he took his chance. He rushed forward, gently embracing his lover for the first time in what felt like forever. He let the world twist around them as he took her from the reality, briefly enjoying the couple seconds. He felt her body slump against him, and he carefully picked her up.

He prepared a special place for Meg, somewhere close to him. He gently sat her down in the usual white room. He was a creature of habit, he knew it’d probably just be easier to take her directly to her new home, but he couldn’t help it.

Several hours passed, and he wondered when she would wake up. He knew that it was different for everyone, how long the shock to the body lasted as they tried to go accustomed to the Realm. As she started to wake up, he couldn’t help but smile. “Hello Meg,” he paused, pleased to see her. “Welcome to the Realm.”

Meg stared at him, hard. “Michael? What’s going on?” she asked. He took a deep breath, sitting next to her.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten to talk to you,” he said softly, looking at her lovingly. “I missed you so much,” he admitted. She looked at him confused.

“Michael, I just saw you,” she said. He shook his head, laughing slightly.

“You saw  _that_  Michael, the other one,” he corrected. She looked at him, face blank. “You’re in the Realm now, this is your new home. Just you and me. Eventually everyone will join us but for now, it’s you and me, and the whole world,” he hummed.

“I don’t understand,” she said. He reached an arm around her, hugging her closely to him.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to, just know you’re home now.”

\--

He knew Meg wasn’t adjusting to the Realm very well. She begged him to take her back, that if he really loved her, he would let her go. “Oh Meg, even if I wanted to take you back, I can’t,” he explained. This had caused her to become even more upset, demanding for an explanation. So he showed her. She had been in the realm for two days, and he knew just how much time could pass in two days. “An hour in the Realm is a year on Earth,” he pointed out, cheerfully turning on the reality viewing screens. Meg’s jaw dropped, and he watched her do mental math. A pained expression crossed her face as she realized just what that meant.

“Unfortunately, the Michael, Gavin, and Lindsay you know have grown old. They have no memory of you, so they didn’t suffer the loss. Not like my versions of you, Gav, and Linds. Sadly, in sparing their suffering, I erased you. You don’t exist in any reality now, sorry about that,” he said, not sorry at all.

“Why…why are you doing this?” she asked softly. Michael huffed.

“Because, I got sick and tired of seeing my counterparts exist and be happy with the three of you, while I had to be miserable and lonely. It’s exhausting,” he groaned. “So now, my counterparts don't get you, and I get you all for myself,” he explained.

She stared at him, horrified. “You’re a monster,” she said, spitefully. Michael cringed but shook it off.

“I might be, yes. Too bad there’s no way you’re ever leaving the Realm,” he hummed.

\--

Life with Meg proved to be frustrating. He let her wander around anywhere she wanted to go, opened up endless possible illusions for her, and let her do whatever she wanted. Yet, he knew she was unhappy. He knew that she didn’t want to be there. Three years ago, he would have had the heart to feel sorry for her because he knew he was in the very same position.

Now though, it just annoyed him. He wondered if they would all be like this, wandering around, pouting. Eventually, he got tired of it. “I gave you everything I could, Meg. I’m trying to make the best of the shitty situation that I was put into, and make a life for you here too,” he snapped. She looked away from him, avoiding his eyes like she usually did.

He waited till she went to bed that night. He quickly walked in, and quietly sat next to her. He gently cupped her face, admiring her. Closing his eyes, he started the process of wiping her memory. He hated to do it, he really did, but he needed it to all work. He needed her to be corporative. So he erased her memory and gave her new memories. He made her believe that she was part of the Realm, that she was his Keeper, his special helper. He tucked away her memories, even adding in memories from other realities, so that one day, maybe she’d remember everything.

He knew it was a terrible thing to do, but he needed it to run smoothly until they were all there.  When she woke up the next morning, the change was immediate. She was much more willing to be around him, willing to help.  She watched over the realities for him, making sure that things were running smoothly and nothing was getting away in his plans.

\--

Michael couldn’t help but pull Gavin next. All he wanted was Gavin by his side again, but he knew from experience. “Meg, I have a really important job for you,” he announced. Meg looked up from where she was sitting, curious.

Taking a deep breath, he walked forward. For this plan to work, he realized, he couldn’t have Meg knowing he was the Overseer. Once again, he cupped her cheek, closing his eyes to connect with her mind. Like her other memories, he erased the fact she knew who he was, just leaving it that he was the Overseer. He waited for her to wake up again, this time, clouding himself in darkness.

“I need you to go to a specific reality and collect someone for me. They have been on my radar for a very long time, and I allowed them to exist far too long. I will give you the proper permission to travel to Earth so you can retrieve him.”

Meg didn’t hesitate, only did what she was told. Once she disappeared, he sat back and just waited.

\--

Michael made sure to avoid interacting with Gavin at first. It hadn’t worked properly with Meg. So instead, he gave Meg instructions. Set up an illusion, explain the situation, place him in said illusion, and allow him to adjust. 

He watched the two of them interacting. He desperately wanted to reach out to Gavin, to be part of Gavin’s life. He wanted his husband back just as much as he wanted all of his partners. He watched as Gavin tried in vain to do everything in his power to leave. Michael knew that if Gavin really knew the truth, the fact that he could leave the illusion whenever he wanted, he probably would. Michael admittedly felt jealous when Meg and Gavin started getting closer, but he knew he had to be patient.

He did make sure Gavin and Meg weren’t bored. He made sure they had entertainment. Of course, he knew he could have been a lot more liberal with what they got, but that wasn’t the point.

\--

Michael waited until he knew Gavin was more comfortable with the Realm before he started getting involved with him. He decided that the dreams he gave Gavin were Gavin’s and Gavin’s alone. He snuck quietly into Gavin’s illusion, making sure that the man was asleep. He knew Meg was off somewhere, preparing for her date. Cupping Gavin’s cheek, Michael closed his eyes. He wasn’t entirely sure if he could influence dreams, but from what he could tell, there seemed to be no limit to what he could do.

As soon as the dream started, Michael moved quickly. He wrapped his arms around Gavin, pulling him into a tight hug. He didn’t want to let go. Gavin’s reaction made his heart race, something that he really hadn’t felt in awhile. For a moment, whatever darkness he felt, it was gone. “Hey Gav,” he hummed softly.  “I’m home,” he murmured. He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss against Gavin’s lips. Oh, how he had missed that. They clung together for what felt like forever, though Michael knew not much time had really passed. He needed this, he needed Gavin.

“I missed you so much, my little Michael,” Gavin murmured. Michael cuddled closer to Gavin, just showering him with small kisses instead of replying. He wondered what would happen if he just pulled them away, kept them isolated from the rest. He wondered if he could just keep Gavin for himself.

“I missed you too,” he replied, voice soft.

Reluctantly, Michael knew he had to leave. He knew he had to disappear before Meg appeared again. He looked at his Gavin one last time, before pulling away. He allowed himself to disappear before Gavin woke up again.

It didn’t take long before darkness clouded him again.

\--

He had learned how to slow down time in his part of the realm when he had Meg pull Gavin out of the Realm. Initially, he had planned to pull them each from different versions of the same reality, but after seeing the effect of what happened to his counterpart when Gavin disappeared, he was aching to see what he could do to the same counterpart when Lindsay disappeared.

Of course, he realized soon after he sent Meg, that he had an even better idea. Why not make his counterparts just disappear altogether. He figured what better way to torture his counterparts than to erase them. He knew exactly where he was going to trap his counterpart too.

Once he had Lindsay in the realm and had safely trapped Michael, he didn’t bother holding back the reality. He let time pass. He let the reality catch up to the rest. So maybe it did mess up the reality a bit, but he couldn’t find himself to care.

\--

He knew that he should be careful about introducing Gavin to Overseer powers, but he also knew that Gavin probably wouldn’t actually figure it out. Gavin seemed to genuinely believe that they were all dreams he was having, which just made Michael’s job easier. He took Gavin out of the illusion, gave him a new sight. He gave him a taste of what he could do, not even telling him that it was Gavin himself making all of this happen. Instead, he played it off that it was his doing in the dream.

Michael realized that he really was only himself when he was with Gavin. He spent hours giving Gavin dreams, going on small dates or simple dreams of them laying together. So maybe he pushed a few memories here and there, manipulating them enough to appear as dreams. Gavin seemed happy though with every dream and seeing Gavin happy made his heart soar more than it had since he had become an Overseer.

\--

He had waited for a while before he started getting in Gavin’s head. It was easy enough introducing another power to Gavin. Of course, Gavin didn’t use it properly, but it didn’t bother Michael. He took up hours of Gavin’s time unapologetically. He realized just how easy he could manipulate Gavin into going to sleep for dreams or control how much time he spent with Lindsay and Meg. Of course, he wanted Gavin to have a bond with them, he really did, but the selfish side of him also wanted Gavin all to himself.

\--

It amazed him how sneaky the trio believed they were. Of course, he had planted memories from previous dreams, giving them to Meg and Lindsay. It amused him how Meg seemed to figure everything out as if he wasn’t the one giving the information out. He watched in amusement as she tried to secretly dig information up. He gave her enough to make her realize that she was supposed to be with them.

Then Meg started to find an escape, and he realized how he could use this to his advantage. So he let her try, over and over again. He let her join the illusion permanently, and let her get even closer to the Lindsay and Gavin.  He planted seeds of doubts in all of their heads, especially Gavin’s, just to make them doubt it, even though he knew in the end, he was going to let it “work”.

For a moment, he considered letting it work for real. He considered letting Lindsay and Meg go back, to the real world, if he could figure it out, but refused to let Gavin leave. The moment Gavin decided he wanted to go through, he knew he couldn’t let that happen.

He popped into the illusion, watching the three of them leave. He knew what they were hoping for, and for all intents and purposes, he did plan to give them exactly what they wanted: An escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've sadly reached the end of the prequel... Unfortunately, I don't have the next part written up yet due to struggling with the story (though I have started it!! ), and I'm extra busy for the next month due to the end of the semester coming up (hence why this is being posted on Sunday instead of Friday...) However, I have almost a whole month off from school and i'm determined that I will get this written (hopefully before the end of the year). Thank you to all that have stuck with me for both stories so far, and again, i'm really sorry that it's going to take so long to get the third up.


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